I almost "klapped" my printer.

It's THAT  time of the year where, at school, there is full on carnage.

It never seems to matter how well prepared you are in advance for the "end of year", that it always becomes a frenzy of half-crazed (and sometimes fully-crazed) people, all frantically trying to get everything done that needs to be done.

On Friday, in the middle of printing reports and award certificates - (All those things that have to be left to the last minute), I got an unusual message on my printer "Replace/Install Waste Toner Bin".

Pardon?

What the flippin heck is that ---- and why was there no WARNING??

And no, it's not like the toner, which gives you a good forewarning and then still prints for a decent period of time -- the printer just ceases to work.  So, I finally located this silly plastic piece of ...... (you fill that in), I emptied it and hoped that it would work. It didn't.

Please bear in mind that I am the only one with a colour printer. I am the only one who can do this. I now have teachers, quite literally, and quite within their rights, standing over me and needing their printing.

So, I phoned my local PC support guys and they promised me that they would get it first thing Monday morning. I was happy. This was do-able.

Fast forward to Monday.

Apparently, the supplier said that this will take 6 weeks to get.

P-a-r-d-o-n?

(cough, choke, faint - 6 weeks???)

What part of  "I need it now" is so difficult to understand?

They sent a very helpful tech guy to come and try to 'make it work'.

It didn't work.

SO he took it away and it turns out that, wait for it.... Compressed air is my new best friend.  He just sprayed it inside the silly plastic piece of ...... (you fill that in), and it worked. Apparently there is a laser that detects even the tiniest bit of toner left in that silly plastic piece of ...... (you fill that in).

So, it's working. I am happy.

I am truly happy with my fabulous PC Support guys - it's not often you get that kind of service!

So now - onwards and upwards! Prize giving and holidays.

Bring it.